Brussels, 30/03/2012 (Agence Europe) - The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) committee charged with investigating the deaths of 63 people fleeing the conflict in Libya in March 2011 has found a “catalogue of failures”. In its report, presented on 29 March, the committee highlights NATO's failure to react to the distress calls from the vessel and the “vacuum of responsibility” in the search and rescue operations. Seventy-two people left Tripoli on board a small vessel; two weeks later the vessels washed up on the Libyan coast with only nine people still alive.
The report drafted by Tineke Strik (Netherlands) follows revelations in the British daily The Guardian in May 2011 which implicated NATO and a number of its ships which, it was claimed, were in the vicinity to the vessel in distress.
According to the rapporteur, it was a catalogue of errors and failures which led to the deaths of these 63 people, the finger of blame being pointed at the Italian authorities which were in charge of search and rescue operations at sea, NATO and the countries whose vessels were in the vicinity, as well as the Libyan authorities and the people smugglers.
NATO “failed to react to distress calls” in a military zone under its control, the committee says, pointing out that the Spanish Navy frigate Méndez Núñez, under NATO command, was reported to be only 11 miles away, although the Spanish authorities dispute the distance. An Italian military vessel, the Borsini, was 37 nautical miles away, the committee says.
In its report, the committee states too: “the Libyan authorities failed to maintain responsibility for their search and rescue zone, the Italian and Maltese Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres failed to launch any search and rescue operation”.
It also gives credence to the stories of the survivors who told of “a military helicopter (which) hovered over the boat and provided water and biscuits and indicated to the passengers that it would return (but) never did”. Survivors also spoke of “a large military vessel which came into close contact with the boat, but ignored obvious distress signals”. The committee calls on NATO to conduct an inquiry into the incident and provide comprehensive answers to outstanding questions, and calls on the European Parliament to seek further information. (SP/transl.rt)